Tossing My Plastics

Staying healthy is job one for me.

 

Every healthy tip that I can incorporate into my life is just one more thing that may keep me out of the doctor's office as far as I am concerned.  I try to eat foods that are as fresh as possible, exercise whenever I can and verbalize my stress so that it doesn't remain bottled up inside me and cause some kind of sickness.

Recently I added a new health concern to my wellness list: avoiding plastics and/or preservatives.

For years I used to bring frozen food products (read Lean Cuisine) to the office and microwave my lunch until a couple of colleagues took me aside and told me that microwaving plastic and food was a no-no because of a substance called parabens which is contained in the plastic.  Needless to say, I haven't done any food and plastic microwaving since then.

 

Now, I have just found out (maybe you already know this) that parabens are also contained in lots of products that I use all the time: lip balm, toothpaste, make-up, moisturizers, hair care products, sunscreen and deodorant.  The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has called parabens the most widely used preservatives in the United States and that's alarming because initial scientific evidence showed that parabens could not be absorbed by the human body but now scientific tests are showing that it can be.

Previous studies on animals and in the laboratory have shown that parabens can mimic the actions of the hormone estrogen.  That has raised a lot of red flags because estrogen is known to fuel some types of breast cancer.

I think it would be difficult if not impossible to completely stay away from parabens but being aware of the products that contain parabens  can give you control over how much parabens exposure you receive.  Since knowledge is power, read the labels of what you are buying and look for the following words because each of these is a variation of parabens:

• benzylparaben
• butylparaben
• ethylparaben
• methylparaben
• propylparaben
• p-hydroxybenzoic acid

I am writing about parabens and our health today because whether you are grieving or going through stressful times, it is important that you take care of yourself.  You are in charge and are just as important as the other person you may be taking care of and, as a widowed person, your health is just as important as a person who may be married or in a long-term relationship.

I am with you in needing to constantly remind myself to do the following: making sure to eat a healthy meal at least once a day, getting enough sleep (even napping during the day), avoiding added stress, choosing to be among people who offer comfort and support rather than those who may sap our energy, physically exercising, like taking a walk, and being open and accepting about our special needs.

Good health is priceless!

Your Digital Legacy

Every day, several times a day, you electronically email or text someone, update your Facebook status, Tweet, take a picture on your phone or record a moment from your life which you want to save and remember.

 

Just as the internet opened up a whole new world of information sharing in a way no one could have ever foreseen, these electronic tools such as iPhones, computers and other gadgets strive to further break down the walls of communication and help us share everything in a way that wasn't possible even five years ago.

 

But with these communication opportunities comes a responsibility to filter what you put out there and take care that this information doesn't land in the wrong hands and used improperly.  In other words, whatever it is that you said and did, are you sure that it will only be received by the person you sent it to?  And no one else?  What happens to all this electronic stuff after we are gone?

I was thinking about these questions because the husband of a friend of mine died suddenly just about a year ago and his widow is still processing on many levels what happened.  She recently was going through his home office and found his laptop.  Her husband was a writer and she was curious to read what was stored in the his computer.

Did she know the passwords to his computer?  No, she didn't.  Could she take it to a computer store and get them to unlock it?  Yes, she could.  But did she really want to go through his computer files and emails now that he died?  She knew that whatever it is that she would find on his computer, he wasn't here to explain it's meaning or intent to her.

To me, this is the proverbial Pandora's box.

The whole idea of a digital legacy is becoming a very common issue and it's something people need to figure out.

Companies have been started to help people open and transfer a loved one's data.  A number of books have been published addressing these personal and legal issues.  What will happen to all of your computer transactions should something happen to you?  Does anyone know your computer passwords?  Do you even want anyone to know your computer passwords?  How do you feel about all this?

In the case of my friend, she did decide to take her husband's Mac to an Apple store and there is a process that you go through in terms of showing proof about the situation.  Eventually, Apple did unlock her husband's computer.

So far, she hasn't opened anything up and looked or read anything.  She says that she keeps the laptop opened up on the table next to her home computer so that when she is working on her computer she feels he is right there with her.

If you want to read more about the various issues surrounding a digital legacy, this link will take you to an excellent USA Today story:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/story/2012-05-07/digital-mourning/55268806/1